On the path toward poverty reduction, economic growth, and environmental sustainability, both water and sanitation measures play a fundamental role, demonstrating the importance of access to a resource like water in people's lives. To mark World Water Day, celebrated every March 22, we present the Palacio de Aguas Corrientes (Water Company Palace) in Buenos Aires—one of the greatest creations of the 19th-century European foundry industry outside Europe, combining art and engineering in a unique Argentine work declared a National Historic Monument in 1989.

In Peru, communal kitchens (ollas comunes) are self-managed neighborhood initiatives located in vulnerable areas. Driven by the food and educational insecurity triggered by the pandemic, these spaces have assumed a vital role in child development, transforming themselves into neighborhood schools. Within this context, "DIT: Building a Space for Children" emerged—a project selected for the XII Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism. Through this initiative, architects Gian Franco Pedreschi, Sergio Iván Puch, and Jhordano Zabanick, together with the community of the AA.HH. Horacio Zevallos, intervened in the public space adjacent to a communal kitchen in the Rímac district, improving the residents' quality of life.

+ 5

The National Architecture Award of Chile is presented by the Colegio de Arquitectos (Architects Association) to recognize "a lifetime dedicated to the service of architecture," according to the organization. First awarded in 1969, the inaugural recipient was Juan Martínez, architect of landmark projects such as the Law School at the University of Chile and the Votive Temple of Maipú.

El colectivito came into being about five years ago. Lacking both a name and a defined shape, it brought together, in an almost casual way, a group of students interested in critically reflecting on architecture and territory. Its name ironically references the historical moment of its birth: it views itself as just one of countless architectural collectives, adopting a diminutive suffix to reflect its awareness of its own budding development. Today, it serves as a meeting space where architects and architecture students from the province of Misiones, Argentina, share and discuss interests and concerns regarding the architectural culture of the unique region they inhabit.

The growing focus on sustainable architecture drives architects to explore alternative sustainable construction materials that can be implemented in new buildings. The research “Totora as a Thermal Insulation Material: Properties and Potential” was published by architect Leyda Aza Medina as a master's thesis in 2016 and won the ADUS 2021 academic practice award. The study offers a sustainable alternative, utilizing the renewable resource of totora reeds to develop thermal insulation for buildings in the Peruvian highlands.

+ 1

Following the 60th anniversary of the iconic Casa en Jean Mermoz—a precursor to the ideas of Ciudad Abierta in Ritoque—Igor Fracalossi, PhD, proposed a reconstruction of its wooden formwork system. He knows the building well; since 2012, he has dedicated his research to studying "the most complex residential project in Chile to date.”

While walking through the exhibition of the reconstruction in the gardens and galleries of the Centro Cultural Las Condes in 2022, he explains in detail the innovative and unique construction aspects of this demolished work. The house was originally designed by Fabio Cruz Prieto, architect and founding master of the School of Architecture and Design at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.

Many of us agree with Roman Mars of 99% Invisible when he says that "we tend to not notice well-designed things"—yet many also agree that design is often perceived as being for only a select few. Consequently, we must ask ourselves what is truly democratic when it comes to design, and from there, help define and contribute our vision toward a more just society.

From the perspective of design and architecture, we can approach the democratization of design from various angles—from incorporating design into everyday needs to designing inclusively. At the core of it all lies the search for solutions that improve accessibility and livability in our daily lives.

The construction industry is one of the largest producers of pollutants and waste globally in its daily operations. To put this into perspective, in the mid-1990s in Great Britain, construction processes generated nearly 10 million tons of post-industrial waste. Approximately a decade ago, over 3.5 billion new bricks were used annually, while around 2.5 billion were demolished; of that total, only about 140 million were reused, with the rest sent to landfills.

When addressing the recycling process of construction materials, several obstacles stand in the way of achieving a comprehensive and effective outcome. First, careless demolition can make the process highly complex, as materials destined for different recycling streams are often mixed together. Furthermore, not all materials can be recycled or processed efficiently, as many still require costly or overly complex processes. However, the construction industry—a major contributor to waste production and greenhouse gas emissions—has also developed multiple new technologies to improve its practices. This is where the WOOL2LOOP project comes in, aiming to resolve one of the greatest challenges in applying a circular approach to construction and demolition waste.

Massimo Paolini shares the following article, originally published in El Salto, presenting new reflections on urban mobility and the future of cities.

Born in Quito in 1947, Guadalupe Ibarra settled in Cuenca during her adolescence due to her father's military career. It was there that she decided to study architecture, enrolling at the University of Cuenca in 1963. An outstanding student, Ibarra earned her degree in 1970, becoming the first Ecuadorian woman to graduate as an architect in the country. 

+ 23

On February 8, at Torre Glorieta Cibeles and as part of Mexico City Art Week, MASA Inc. presented an exhibition showcasing pieces by Manuel Bañó, Hollie Bowden, Frida Escobedo, Héctor Esrawe, Mario García Torres, Adeline de Monseignat, Marrow, Brian Thoreen, Joe Sweeney, ROOMS Studio, EWE Studio, and VISSIO.

Gathering spaces in rural areas play an important role in improving the quality of life for local communities. In April 2022, Fundación Mi Parque launched the book “Rural Public Spaces: Community, Architecture, and Landscape” as both a contribution and a guide for a design discipline that seeks to highlight and address the need for meeting spaces in rural environments. The book is the culmination of five years of fieldwork, during which 37 community spaces were built, benefiting more than 26,000 residents in the Choapa Province of Chile's Coquimbo Region.

+ 10

“Mercado Retablo” is the winning proposal of the II Semilla Competition organized by MURU, presenting a new design for the Playa Grau Municipal Market, located in the city of Ayacucho. Architects Santiago Nieto Valladares and Lucía Uribe Osores explain how “the market proposes quality public spaces that establish it as a gathering place, moving beyond a mere site for transit and commerce to host and foster social interaction.”

+ 14

+ 2

The historical memory and research project "Clásicos Mexicanos"—which recovers the work of key figures in mid-20th-century Mexican design by manufacturing some of their most iconic pieces—once again opens its doors to celebrate the work of Armando Franco (b. 1921), a key figure in the Mexican architecture and design scene.

The bookstore and publishing house Arcadia Mediática, alongside the architecture, design, and construction magazine Arkinka, began 2022 with the launch of their first joint editorial project, “Ideas de Hábitat. Arquitectura en Perú 2010-2020”. Through built projects of varying scales and territories represented by more than four generations of architects, the book aims to showcase the finest works of contemporary architecture in Peru over the last decade.

In November 2022, the Network of Latin American Architecture Biennials REDBAAL will mark its first ten fruitful years, celebrating this milestone by launching the Fourth Edition of the Oscar Niemeyer Award for Latin American Architecture, the prestigious ON-04 Prize. This August, the jury's decision was announced, revealing the top three winners and recognizing the work of architects from Brazil and Mexico.

The first woman to receive an architecture degree in Argentina was Filandia Pizzul in 1928 from the University of Buenos Aires, more than 50 years after the program was first established. Starting in 1874, the architecture program operated independently of the Department of Sciences, where these studies had been housed since 1865. She was a pioneer in several fields, also becoming the first woman to complete courses at the Civil Aviation Directorate in 1928, earning pilot's license No. 181.

As part of an initiative by LIGA, an independent space founded in Mexico City in 2011 to promote contemporary Latin American architecture through exhibitions, publications, events, lectures, and workshops, the exhibition “Registro: Museo Tamayo” opened on April 21 as part of the LIGA-ARCHIVOS initiative. This iteration presents a reinterpretation of the building designed by architect Teodoro González de León and built in 1981 in the First Section of Chapultepec Forest.

The results of the XIV Yucatan Architecture Biennial have been announced. A total of 17 accolades were awarded, including 1 gold medal, 6 silver medals, and 10 honorable mentions across 15 different categories. The jury comprised architects Edgar Herrera, Manuel Herrera, Felipe Leal, and Carlos Rodríguez. Read on to discover the winners.

Architect Jimena Hogrebe presents “Architectural Embroidery,” an intimate project that explores the possibilities of representing and understanding architecture through the boundaries of other disciplines, framing it as a multifaceted and diverse activity. Embroidery is an ancient technique that demands abstraction and a clear understanding of what is being stitched. Above all, however, it is about pausing in time. Much like hand drawing, it connects the hand with the brain, linking reflection with memory to record and interpret architecture through an alternative narrative.

+ 41

+ 14

Recently, Tec de Monterrey unveiled “Skyspace: Espíritu de Luz,” an installation designed by American artist James Turrell that now joins DistritoTec in Monterrey, Mexico, as a cultural destination that enhances spatial quality through innovation. Arising from the “Light & Space” art movement, this piece was designed as an observatory to generate a unique visual experience through a sequence of lights every 12 hours, at dawn and dusk. It also serves as a tribute to the life and legacy of Don Eugenio Garza Sada and Eugenio Garza Lagüera.

Paint is synonymous with color, even when it is white. It is the simplest way to restore and correct imperfections on any surface, whether interior or exterior. Without detracting from this significant aesthetic benefit, paint also possesses composition-based properties that turn an attractive, well-finished project into a healthy building—one with a lower environmental impact throughout its life cycle.

This article by Miguel Paredes Maldonado was originally published with the title "House, City, Territory: A Collective Investigation into the Transformations of Contemporary Urban Living" in issue No. 31 of Dearq journal on September 1, 2021 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.18389/dearq31.2021.02).

The article explores the interscalar relationships recently established between the domestic realm of housing and the collective spheres of the city and territory, viewed through the lens of developing new “urban commons.” This exploration is framed as a collective research project based on participation in architectural competitions and developed within a pedagogical framework at the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) between September and December 2020. Its findings highlight the pronounced infrastructural basis of contemporary urban living and identify the primary processes of transfer between the domestic and collective domains across a series of urban housing scenarios.

We present this article as part of a joint collaboration to help disseminate the research, analysis, and opinions developed by the national and international academic community on architecture, urban issues, and related fields.